When I checked into my London hotel last night it proudly proclaimed that passengers from the Titanic had stayed there before sailing from Southampton on their fateful journey.

I couldn't help feeling that this was a bad omen and I was right. For after looking ship shape and as though they were heading into the semi-finals of the Worthington Cup, United let in water in injury time as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink grabbed Chelsea's last gasp winner.

And United's Worthington Cup dreams were sunk for another season on a night when they had the better chances to win.

Now United must be wondering just what they have to do to bring some silverware to Tyneside.

And end the London bogey which now stands at 29 games and could easily stretch to around 30 with Tuesday's visit to Arsenal and Highbury looming.

But Bobby Robson and every single United player deserved better last night.

Just like they deserved better in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the opener at Stamford Bridge back in August.

Chelsea were on the ropes for most of the second half and they looked as though they were hanging on hoping to regroup in extra time.

United could hardly have finished the game any stronger - and Andy O'Brien should have clinched it but he missed two good headed chances in the closing stages.

The football in the match wasn't good or pretty as it was littered with fouls.

But it certainly was tense as both sets of players were obviously aware of what was at stake and were clearly frightened to make a mistake.

Then with the game in injury time a fresh Gianfranco Zola, who had just come on, turned away from Rob Lee to give Chelsea some space.

The ball was transferred to the

&#xA3;11 million Frank Lampard, who had been anonymous all night, and then on to Hasselbaink and out to the left to Boudewijn Zenden.

The same Zenden who had turned Robson down in the summer for the bright lights of London and Chelsea.

Like Zola, Zenden had not been on the field very long and his cross wasn't that of a tired man.

It was a cross which simply begged to be put away and Hasselbaink duly obliged.

United were down and out and every single player knew it. So did their manager.

And so too did the Toon Army whose efforts last night matched those of their team.

I stood outside the United dressing room after the game and when the door opened I didn't dare look in.

I know just how badly the United players were taking this unjust, undeserved and so-cruel defeat.

The only consolation for them was that it would have been even crueller to have gone out in extra time or after penalties.